Mixed Media Paintings & Collage

Loco Luna

Hey Crazy Moon
You're crazy like a loon
Masquerading as Capricorn
Showing off your uni-horn
You prance across the sky
Peeking out as clouds race by
I'm here awake while others sleep
It's crazy too the hours I keep
I think I'll put the blame on you
For being a bit moonstruck too

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Aug 2016

The Magic Tree Kingdom

There is a magic kingdom

to be found within the trees

when you find this sacred place

you will never want to leave.

But remember when you visit

that you get just what you give

be mindful, kind and loving

so that both of us can live

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Aug 2016

When Shadows Fall

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Well it's 4:08
And they're through the gate
But some would state
That they're already late

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I say, when shadows fall

Do not hesitate
Or turn back and wait
It's the perfect date
To wed your mate

Your love won't abate
It will only inflate
So stand on that crate
And celebrate!

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Aug 2016

A Few Words From The Tree

I am a tree, he said with a frown
I hear that you want to cut me down
Are you mad? Or daft? Or downright dumb?
Or has all the destruction made you numb?
Are you telling white lies or trying to deceive?
Come on, you must know, I allow you to breathe!!

I bet that you want to build again
More ugly boxes made from my kin
Row upon row of your dull abodes
On tree-less streets and shade-less roads
Just remember when you take your next breath
The demise of us trees would mean your own death. 

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Aug 2016

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Lily

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hey wild lily 
i see you looking in the mirror
standing there so tall
asking who is fairest of them all
you know you steal the show
not just your size will win the prize
but the faces that you make
in the symmetry you fake
will take the cake

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Jul 2016

The Walnut Tree

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The big old walnut tree stands tall
She's been there years and sees it all
She's grand, rich green and offers shade
I sit beneath and feel stress fade
Blessed to dwell in this circle of love
Sun through her leaves shimmers above
She offers her gift that she breathes out
A magical thing without a doubt
I linger barefoot on the ground 
The birds and squirrels flit around
Tiya hides in the forest of fern
And I know then what I have learned
That Nature can renew and heal
If we accept our part of the deal.

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Jun 2016

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Tree Temple

Oh barren cathedral
what stories could your branches tell
we know the sacred in them dwell
we thank you for the gift you gave
the oxygen we breathed to save
our precious life which is but brief
fleeting like a falling leaf

So start right now without delay
there is no perfect time or day
to make your art or sing your tune 
to dance beneath the harvest moon
whatever makes your heart light up
that thing you love will fill your cup
you have a special gift to share 

come on be brave and take the dare

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Aug 2015

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River Giver

Unaware of hateful headlines

river water flows and shines,

lapping at its shores that shift,

sprinkling droplets of its gift.

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Oh to be just like the river

in the flow, an easy giver 

with no spite nor ill intent

just song 'n deed from heaven sent.

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Aug 2015

The Fanning Mill

Earlier this year we visited the farm where I grew up and took a walk through the barn that is now being partially dismantled. There in the granary sat the fanning mill, the cheery facade faded, but not gone. This brightly painted contraption still reminds me of something you'd see at the circus, and elicits sweet childhood memories.

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The fanning mill 

a relic of yore

still sits in the barn 

on the granary floor

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It arrived on the scene

before I was a kid

and farmers were thrilled

with the job that it did

It made lighter work
of cleaning the grain
a task that till then 
had been a real pain

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Before this machine
the method of old
was to winnow by hand
to remove chaff and mold

This ancient technique

of sorting the seeds

took a whole lot of time

to sift dirt and weeds

This new device

with a screen and fan

didn't need a whole team

just the hands of one man

Although it was great

time moves on so fast

and before too long

'twas a thing of the past 

The next big thing

was now all the rage

the combine harvester

began a new age

That's another tale 

to be told if you care

wish my dad were here

he'd have stories to share

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May 2014

The Juggling Vampire

The Juggling Vampire

came calling one night

but gave me a thrill

instead of a fright

Although when he left

the mirror did reveal

he had marked my neck

with his familiar seal

To be quite honest

I wasn't that miffed

I had fallen for him

so it felt like a gift

Now, the juggling part

is a story to tell

this guy has talents

that he doesn't sell

Seems he's been hiding

his voice and his wit

and his juggling act 

could be quite a hit

This tale has no end

not yet that's for sure

the Juggling Vampire

would be a real lure

A busker, a minstrel

a wordsmith as well

when you see his gig

you'll agree it's swell

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Nov 2012

Spine Poetry

Wise Women
in search of the lost feminine
re-member the biggest secret:
"I had it all the time"

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Aug 2012

The Truthkeepers

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I leaned my back 
against this tree
and magic happened
it whispered to me

I got real still
my ear to the bark
and sure enough
there in the park

I heard quite clear
inside my head
we are "Truthkeepers"
we are not dead

I stayed a while
face to the sun
feeling the power
of this ancient one

Still standing strong
holding its ground
delivering a message
without making a sound

For me, a symbol
of being true
to ones own purpose
whatever you do

Even though cut
they rise above
the wounds inflicted
and exhale love

OXYGEN, that is
 

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Photo 2010

Poem 2012

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"Trees are sanctuaries.

Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth.

They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life."

~ Hermann Hesse ~

On Jana's Farm

Time on the farm

It’s got its own pace

there’s something about it

like no other place

Wake in the morning

to a cluck and a neigh

no need for a clock

when you’re living this way

The birds are singing

the sun is back

Dixie and Spirit

are waiting for Jack

Jana gets ready

to begin her day

collecting the eggs

and feeding some hay

I think of my dad

on the farm where I grew

always fixing and working

always having to “do”

So part of me tenses

as I think of the “shoulds”

another part shrugs

as I think of the “coulds”

Those days were then

these days are now

I begin to relax

and remember the Tao

There’s a place on the trail

when I go for a walk

that would speak of peace

if it could talk

I capture the image

with my camera lens

it’s a happy face!

a place of pure Zen

It speaks without words

of beauty and grace

of a land of hope

of a sacred space

I remind myself

of why I’m here

I’ve come to this place

to mend and get clear

To remember my truth

after being so low

coming to Hopeland

has let creativity flow

I’m grateful to those

who have given this gift

of a place to heal

and a place to uplift

Out of the darkness

and into the light

to remember my purpose

and shine my star bright

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Jun 2011

The Pear Tree
 

“Don’t go past the pear tree”,

Was a refrain that we all knew well;

A warning given to canine and kids

And it worked, I’m here to tell.

My mother called it a landmark

Where Gram and Aunt and the clan,

Would use that dear old pear tree

As part of their safety plan.

It stood about halfway down the lane

And served as our sentinel;

If you stayed this side of the pear tree,

You were assured that all would be well.

That tree still stands as it did back then

And even though it’s gone hollow

There’s a man in there, who has a heart

I hope you are able to follow.

Suffice it to say, if you’re from my tribe

You’ll know what I mean when I state

That tree had power in days gone by

And the magic lives on to this date.

The Pear Tree has roots beyond the soil

The family kind that run deep

Those memories made in childhood

 Are among those that I'll always keep.

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Nov 2009

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